Have you met any of your COH/COV/GR buddies offline?

I've met quite a few people in RL that I've know in the game, or on the forums. Matter of fact, some of them I play with in game because I met them in RL at HeroCon'08, then again at HreoCon'09 and at the M&G a couple of weekends ago.

I met my wife in CoH. We lived 700 miles apart, and got to know each other over the course of about a year and a half, and decided we should meet in person. It just clicked and we've been married since April of '08.

I actually organized a DC area meet and greet, which was very well attended, I feel. Met some nice people from here on the forums that I've had discussions with over the years. Was nice to be able to put a face to the forum names.

Hmmm...maybe it's time for another one of those.

Short Answer: Yes.

Longer Answer: Mmhmm.

Even Longer Answer: Yep. I've even gone out with a couple girls I met through CoH and one through CoHFaces. I have to admit the latter was kind of odd (the date, not the girl) because she wanted to meet for the first date at a coffee shop... well, that was not weird in and of itself, but when I got there she asked me where my laptop was. I told her I didn't have one, and she asked me (exasperatedly) how was I going to play CoH with her if I didn't bring my laptop? If she reads this she won't be mad, though. We parted on good terms.

A couple from Australia joined one of my SGs years back, and we got to be great friends online. One day, after we had been friends for well over a year, they (perhaps jokingly at first) said that I should come visit them. I live in Minnesota. But then we actually started talking about it, and they were really willing to come have me visit, even let me stay with them instead of a hotel or something... and I realized that I had enough money saved up for a couple of plane tickets. So I went ahead and did it! So the first time I ever flew was when I went from Minneapolis to Los Angeles, and then shortly after flew non-stop over the entire Pacific Ocean to Sydney. I had a great time, and a great story to tell.

Never been to any meet and greets, though. I don't think that's the kind of thing for me. (Also, they primarily take place on coasts that I live nowhere near.)

I've met quite a few folks in person both at Herocon 09 and when some of us got together at Dragon Con 09 and even more at Dragon Con this year as well as the random we live near each other lets just get together. Like Chad I was psyched to go to the CoH buddies party but the timing of the event made travel costs prohibitive for me so I couldnt attend and was sad to miss out on meeting several of our in game friends.

I even had a few friends come out to visit over the summer, even one from Europe and it was a blast. Our group has a vent server so its not that akward when we finally get to see each other face to face. Just an extension of our usual wack ways.

Most of my best friends I've made through and met outside this game. Two players who I've known for five years, I was maid of honour at their wedding. Another is an honourary brother of mine. I've met them at conventions, in various cities, even stayed round theirs. We've had meet ups in London where we basically spent all day in a pub chatting, gone shopping, even dated through the game.

My list of people I've met so far:

FloatingFatMan, Ravenswing, Aisla, Doctor Temporis, Hikari-Hime, Gideon, Jedi-and, Wordmaker, Jennybear, ShadowGhost, Crimson Archer, Dante, Shadowe, Purple Pix, Ammon, Quilla, Wild Red, Kallandra, Eleven, Fanservice, Coile, Blackdove, Mereman, Wilf, Poptart Fairy, Maximillian, Stasis, Fire Guardian, Extremus, Xanthus, Solar, Omega Chief, Emperor Lol, Catkeeper, Cass_, Liz Bathory, Plasmarch, Royal, Gangrel, Rebel Darkwolf, Big Lunk, and there's probably many others.

I've also met some of the old EU community staff, and War Witch and Nobel Savage at Omega Sektor 08.

One we met during the first two years we were playing. Her brother was going to school near where we lived so she stopped by for a visit. Another friend drove down to attend my husband and my wedding and stayed with us for about a week. Good times.

We are also friends on Facebook with all of our regular SG/VG mates.

I have met a few friends in real life. In fact, I keep three of them in my freezer in my garage. You should come by and meet them some time.

Also, to the OP, keep an eye on the Player Events section of the forums. Folks will sometimes organize RL events, some based around official events like the COH presentations at 'cons and whatnot, others just because they can.

(Your server forum is another good place to watch.)

For example, for HeroCon 2008 and 2009, in addition to all the partying with everyone who showed up, a large group on Justice made a point of hanging out en masse, going to breakfast or latenight food runs, partying at the hotel, etc.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

I've met quite a few of them. Always surprising when you bump into someone, get talking about gaming, and realize they're an online buddy
Course I'm hoping I know one of my online "buddies" on City....he's my other half and we play one room apart.

I also got to meet and talk with a lot of players at the meet and greet in Cali, as well as getting to know a lot of the devs. It was rather amusing to see the sign stating the occupancy limit for the room we started out in was 19 people standing...and I think we had over 50 in the room.

If there's anyone in southern Oregon, Joyrock and I are always up to meeting new people if ya need to get away from the computer for a while (blasphemy!)

Aside from Belle, I've met some of the people who used to play Taxibots in person, I've met Catwhoorg in person (he lives pretty close), and I met Blue Sigma, who I think passed away. If he's who I think he is, he arranged a meet-and-greet here in Atlanta that I went to, and where in fact I met Catwhoorg. It sounds kind of sad, but really, I'm glad I got to meet him.

I wanted to go to Dragon*Con this year and meet some more folks, but I've been having some health issues (nothing that won't eventually get better, I hope!) that precluded me going this year.

Meet alot of my CoH friends in rl. Plus have many of their IM's and phone #'s. Some where through local CoH M&G, local player get togethers and I have even gone to Mo & Il to visit very close CoH friends.

I've met two of my COH buddies irl.

I went on vacation to Chicago during the Cape Radio Meet and Greet that they have there. So I've met about 30 people that I know from the game, and some I didn't know before.

I live in NorCal so I've had he opportunity to meet some CoX staff in RL. I've also met quite a few folks in my SG in RL as well. We even call and email one another form time to time. I started playing the game while in chemotherapy for cancer. So it was my main social outlet. Once I was recovered and feeling better, I met some of the folks I'd been chatting with. Was a great experience. It's always great meeting other 30+ folks who like gaming and comic books as much as I do. :-)

Like FredrikSvanberg I've been to the Chicago M&G. I've gone all three years the Cape has put one together since Chicago isn't that far a drive. Oddly there have been at least two player run M&Gs in the city I live in but I have never been able to make those because of scheduling problems.

So I'm aware that there are at least a dozen if not more active CoH players local to me that I've never met in real life and probably never encountered in game either. Instead I meet people like Fred who lives more than 4,000 miles from me.

Yep, I met my husband (Magicmind, Liberty) in June of 2005, moved from Illinois to Missouri in September of 2005.

We are now married and have a 4 year old son together (but back in Illinois), and we have a great marriage. Guess we got lucky, but we knew as soon as we met the first time that that was it!

Besides TonyV (let me geek out at meeting him!) and a few others locally at the M&G that was arranged, and the roomful at Dragoncon one year (most of whom I didn't actually get to really meet).

Within Global Heroics (on Triumph) we have had many out of game meet ups, most recently my wife and I were in Kansas city for other reasons, and hooked up with our little group of 3 players from there. I think part of this stemmed from the core of the group being very close (there was a huge bunch in Chicago area initially), plus a large active ventrillo group. When you talk with people 3-4 times/week for several yeasr, meeting them doesn't seem like a huge step.

Over new years, we are hosting two other group members, who will be visiting us and spending 3-4 days. Both have visited us before as well.

We have invitations to go to Vegas and upto Oregon and we will be taking those people up on in the not too distant future.

<edit>
Oh and the guy who got me into COH was the best man at my wedding. Though I knew him before COH obviously...

I got into this game when a freind of mine showed it to me. We had a small villain group and a base on Victory server, along with two of his buddies that I personally did not know very well. Alas the two I did not know particularly have stopped playing this game, my friend still plays occasionally devoting his time to other MMO's and his wife. So I moved my toons to higher population server, Virtue, about a year or year and a half ago.